2025 Championship Predictions

[sentoffagain2]

The Championship will not be as competitive this coming season as last.Fev should do much better than last season and i can see them finishing 2nd to 4th.

Edited November 10, 2024 by marklaspalmas

[Yorkie-Girl]

3 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

    The Championship will not be as competitive this coming season as last.Fev should do much better than last season and i can see them finishing 2nd to 4th.

Why do you think The Championship will be not as competitive this coming season. I personally think it will be just as competitive if not more so.

 

 

[POR]

15 minutes ago, Yorkie-Girl said:

Why do you think The Championship will be not as competitive this coming season. I personally think it will be just as competitive if not more so.

 

 

Agree YG with no SL ala wakey in the mix everyone can beat everyone

[sentoffagain2]

33 minutes ago, Yorkie-Girl said:

Why do you think The Championship will be not as competitive this coming season. I personally think it will be just as competitive if not more so.

 

 

  Competitive the wrong word as i do think the teams will be more equal in structure.But Bradford  and Toulouse will not be strong as last season.Widnes and York may continue to progress to build up their IMG score.London ?who knows but not so strong as the team that achieved promotion.Hunslet will struggle but they deserve the chance.Mid table would be good for Oldham.Barrow may continue to build on their support as they chase IMG points.Sheffield without Aston not up to their last couple of seasons performances.Doncaster will consolidate or improve they are well run and work in progress.Fev improved performance expected despite the coach.Batley mid table or slightly higher probably the best run club in the Championship and always liable to pull off a shock result.On reflection you are right it should be more competitive without the top two or three teams outspending the rest.

[The Phantom Horseman]

1 hour ago, sentoffagain2 said:

  Competitive the wrong word as i do think the teams will be more equal in structure.But Bradford  and Toulouse will not be strong as last season.Widnes and York may continue to progress to build up their IMG score.London ?who knows but not so strong as the team that achieved promotion.Hunslet will struggle but they deserve the chance.Mid table would be good for Oldham.Barrow may continue to build on their support as they chase IMG points.Sheffield without Aston not up to their last couple of seasons performances.Doncaster will consolidate or improve they are well run and work in progress. Fev improved performance expected despite the coach.Batley mid table or slightly higher probably the best run club in the Championship and always liable to pull off a shock result.On reflection you are right it should be more competitive without the top two or three teams outspending the rest.

I'm not so sure that Bradford won't be as strong as last season, they might well be stronger. They've lost Doro and Fulton but they have made some really strong signings too (Donaldson, Armytage, Keyes and Waine in particular) to add to a number of big additions during during last season (Okunbor, Pele etc) . Remember, John Davies wasn't getting into their team towards the backend of the year. I actually felt they underachieved last year given the overall quality of their squad (and the money they must have spent), they kept shooting themselves in the foot with sin binnings etc, but they have the personnel to be the dominant team in the league if they don't implode. With Taufua, Okunbor and Armytage extremely powerful runners in yardage along with a strong pack they should win the physical battle every week.

We kind of sneaked a win in the league game at Odsal but they dominated us physically at our place and even more so in the play-off game and we have work to do to get close to them in my opinion, of course that's before we know exactly how our squad will look. Of course whether they've got their timing right in having such a strong squad is another matter as even if they win both the Grand Fnal and the 1895 Cup it's hard to see them getting enough points to get into SL as long as they're playing at Odsal.

Toulouse - I'd have to see who else they sign for next year but they always look beatable away from home and that might be their achilles heel. York are on an upward trajectory it seems, they were better than us last season and they will be looking to build on that, they should be one of the top 3 or 4 teams again, and maybe better than that.

Widnes, I think a lot will depend on which version of Patton they get, if he plays to his best then with Gilmore they'll be a threat to everybody but we all know how mercurial Patton is. Widnes fans seem to think Allan Coleman is the best coach they've had in years so it will be interesting to see if his second season is as good as his first, must admit I took a bit of a dislike to him after his sour post-game interview following our win there but overall their results did improve a lot despite on paper their team not looking much stronger prior to the season starting.

I'm only guessing here but I think Oldham might end up being the second-biggest spenders behind Bradford (though again we don't really know the make-up of our own squad yet). If as rumoured they are signing the likes of Josh Drinkwater, Matty Ashurst, Ian Thornley to add to the likes of our ex-players Wildie, Kopczak, Taylor, Riley Dean etc (none of whom would have been cheap) then that's some amount of cash they are laying out. They'll say all the right things about avoiding relegation being the priority but really they ought to be aiming for the play-offs if their squad ends up as strong as is rumoured.

I think London will struggle, at least early on, as they will have lost a large chunk of their squad, but if they make it to the starting line we know their coach can work wonders with unpromising material. I do think they'll be starting again from almost scratch though and will do well to make the play-offs.

Doncaster might progress with a season under their belt. Halifax clearly aren't in a good place financially at the moment and will do well to be competitive, whilst Sheffield will have a good team on paper but how they will cope with the Aston aftermath remains to be seen. I don't see any of the other teams being top 4 contenders, but no doubt Batley and Barrow will both cause a few upsets along the way as is their wont.

It's hard to know what to predict for us until we have more of an idea of our squad. At the moment I'd say top 4 would be a very successful season given how poorly we played on multiple occasions last year. We need to show that, on a consistent basis,  we can be more dominant in contact, both in attack and defence, and be more fluent with ball in hand near the opponent's line, before we can be regarded as being one of the very top teams in the division.

[gazza77]

Far too early to say, we need to know what squads are looking like.

[Indigogo]

1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

I'm not so sure that Bradford won't be as strong as last season, they might well be stronger. They've lost Doro and Fulton but they have made some really strong signings too (Donaldson, Armytage, Keyes and Waine in particular) to add to a number of big additions during during last season (Okunbor, Pele etc) . Remember, John Davies wasn't getting into their team towards the backend of the year. I actually felt they underachieved last year given the overall quality of their squad (and the money they must have spent), they kept shooting themselves in the foot with sin binnings etc, but they have the personnel to be the dominant team in the league if they don't implode. With Taufua, Okunbor and Armytage extremely powerful runners in yardage along with a strong pack they should win the physical battle every week.

We kind of sneaked a win in the league game at Odsal but they dominated us physically at our place and even more so in the play-off game and we have work to do to get close to them in my opinion, of course that's before we know exactly how our squad will look. Of course whether they've got their timing right in having such a strong squad is another matter as even if they win both the Grand Fnal and the 1895 Cup it's hard to see them getting enough points to get into SL as long as they're playing at Odsal.

Toulouse - I'd have to see who else they sign for next year but they always look beatable away from home and that might be their achilles heel. York are on an upward trajectory it seems, they were better than us last season and they will be looking to build on that, they should be one of the top 3 or 4 teams again, and maybe better than that.

Widnes, I think a lot will depend on which version of Patton they get, if he plays to his best then with Gilmore they'll be a threat to everybody but we all know how mercurial Patton is. Widnes fans seem to think Allan Coleman is the best coach they've had in years so it will be interesting to see if his second season is as good as his first, must admit I took a bit of a dislike to him after his sour post-game interview following our win there but overall their results did improve a lot despite on paper their team not looking much stronger prior to the season starting.

I'm only guessing here but I think Oldham might end up being the second-biggest spenders behind Bradford (though again we don't really know the make-up of our own squad yet). If as rumoured they are signing the likes of Josh Drinkwater, Matty Ashurst, Ian Thornley to add to the likes of our ex-players Wildie, Kopczak, Taylor, Riley Dean etc (none of whom would have been cheap) then that's some amount of cash they are laying out. They'll say all the right things about avoiding relegation being the priority but really they ought to be aiming for the play-offs if their squad ends up as strong as is rumoured.

I think London will struggle, at least early on, as they will have lost a large chunk of their squad, but if they make it to the starting line we know their coach can work wonders with unpromising material. I do think they'll be starting again from almost scratch though and will do well to make the play-offs.

Doncaster might progress with a season under their belt. Halifax clearly aren't in a good place financially at the moment and will do well to be competitive, whilst Sheffield will have a good team on paper but how they will cope with the Aston aftermath remains to be seen. I don't see any of the other teams being top 4 contenders, but no doubt Batley and Barrow will both cause a few upsets along the way as is their wont.

It's hard to know what to predict for us until we have more of an idea of our squad. At the moment I'd say top 4 would be a very successful season given how poorly we played on multiple occasions last year. We need to show that, on a consistent basis,  we can be more dominant in contact, both in attack and defence, and be more fluent with ball in hand near the opponent's line, before we can be regarded as being one of the very top teams in the division.

Don't forget Oldham have signed Adam Milner, Gil Dudson and Louis Brogan. Can't imagine any of them are coming to play for pocket money, especially Milner and Dudson. At a guess they'll be close to challenging Bulls as top spenders in champ in 2025. It's an exciting time to be an Oldham fan.

[The Phantom Horseman]

4 hours ago, Indigogo said:

Don't forget Oldham have signed Adam Milner, Gil Dudson and Louis Brogan. Can't imagine any of them are coming to play for pocket money, especially Milner and Dudson. At a guess they'll be close to challenging Bulls as top spenders in champ in 2025. It's an exciting time to be an Oldham fan.

Yep, their recruitment reminds me very much of ours prior to the 2022 and 2023 season - loads of big-name veterans stepping down from SL, with a sprinkling of younger recruits. Interesting to see if they can achieve the same success as we had, but it looks like their spending is in a similar ballpark.

Edited November 10, 2024 by The Phantom Horseman

[The Phantom Horseman]

46 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

Far too early to say, we need to know what squads are looking like.

Oh I agree, I was just responding to the suggestion that Bradford would be weaker next season, whereas I think something will have gone badly wrong if they aren't close to being the best team in the league.

 

[gazza77]

29 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

Oh I agree, I was just responding to the suggestion that Bradford would be weaker next season, whereas I think something will have gone badly wrong if they aren't close to being the best team in the league.

 

I wasn't particularly replying to anyone with my view, other than the OP. That said, I'd agree on your view about Bradford, given they've announced what I would expect to be the bulk of their squad.

[marklaspalmas]

I guess you've all noticed that this thread has been split off the Squad debate.

I think it's worth its own thread.

[ghost of uncle fester]

Oldham have still to announce thornley ,ashurst and Drinkwater 

Absolutely will be up there as one of the biggest spenders 

[sentoffagain2]

20 minutes ago, ghost of uncle fester said:

Oldham have still to announce thornley ,ashurst and Drinkwater 

Absolutely will be up there as one of the biggest spenders 

  I know Oldham have splashed out and brought good if ageing players in but i still think mid table will be their position.It is difficult moulding a team even with good players into a very good one in their first season together.That is why i think Bradford who will have plenty of new faces will not hit the ground running.Especially with their coach leaving and being replace by  Noble who likes to play the percentage game.

[POR]

4 hours ago, gazza77 said:

Far too early to say, we need to know what squads are looking like.

That's true g but we've nowt to worry apparently we're getting some class quality and exciting players   

[Fevrover]

30 minutes ago, ghost of uncle fester said:

Oldham have still to announce thornley ,ashurst and Drinkwater 

Absolutely will be up there as one of the biggest spenders 

Biggest spenders doesn't always pay off ,got the t-shirt  .

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

22 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Biggest spenders doesn't always pay off ,got the t-shirt  .

Depends on your objectives.  Oldham's initial objectives don't include Superleague,  yet! The board has stated the the main objective is to get the Oldham populus excited about Rugby League again, to get a pathway from junior, to amateur,  to pro. For the last 25 years pro RL in Oldham has been dire. It was dying a death. The board's success this year will reflect itself in the crowds, the junior pathway teams as well as success on the pitch. For years we have dreamed of  being able to compete in the championship with the likes of Fev, a real tradional RL club. If we do all that this season, then that will be the payoff. 

 

[Fevrover]

7 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

Depends on your objectives.  Oldham's initial objectives don't include Superleague,  yet! The board has stated the the main objective is to get the Oldham populus excited about Rugby League again, to get a pathway from junior, to amateur,  to pro. For the last 25 years pro RL in Oldham has been dire. It was dying a death. The board's success this year will reflect itself in the crowds, the junior pathway teams as well as success on the pitch. For years we have dreamed of  being able to compete in the championship with the likes of Fev, a real tradional RL club. If we do all that this season, then that will be the payoff. 

 

Be nice to see Oldham back,one of my favourite grounds wa Watersheddings ❄. 

[sentoffagain2]

25 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

Be nice to see Oldham back,one of my favourite grounds wa Watersheddings ❄. 

   Terry Clawson said you need eyes in your backside when you play at Oldham.I think he meant on the walk from the detached changing rooms when they had to pass through some spectators before entering the pitch.They had a dog track at Oldham in those days but thankfully not round the playing area like some grounds.

[Jimmy DoNut]

16 hours ago, Indigogo said:

Don't forget Oldham have signed Adam Milner, Gil Dudson and Louis Brogan. Can't imagine any of them are coming to play for pocket money, especially Milner and Dudson. At a guess they'll be close to challenging Bulls as top spenders in champ in 2025. It's an exciting time to be an Oldham fan.

Lewis Baxter I think you mean, plus PLT on another season-long loan. 

[Jimmy DoNut]

11 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

   Terry Clawson said you need eyes in your backside when you play at Oldham.I think he meant on the walk from the detached changing rooms when they had to pass through some spectators before entering the pitch.They had a dog track at Oldham in those days but thankfully not round the playing area like some grounds.

Wonderful Watersheddings

 

[Monkeymagic22]

For me, Bradford look to have put a strong squad together and should be favourites. All looks pretty close though, Toulouse will be up there as usual, and Oldham have recruited heavily. Hard to say about Fev, until we announce more squad members.

[Bulls2487]

20 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

  Competitive the wrong word as i do think the teams will be more equal in structure.But Bradford  and Toulouse will not be strong as last season.Widnes and York may continue to progress to build up their IMG score.London ?who knows but not so strong as the team that achieved promotion.Hunslet will struggle but they deserve the chance.Mid table would be good for Oldham.Barrow may continue to build on their support as they chase IMG points.Sheffield without Aston not up to their last couple of seasons performances.Doncaster will consolidate or improve they are well run and work in progress.Fev improved performance expected despite the coach.Batley mid table or slightly higher probably the best run club in the Championship and always liable to pull off a shock result.On reflection you are right it should be more competitive without the top two or three teams outspending the rest.

 

Edited November 11, 2024 by Bulls2487

[Bulls2487]

14 hours ago, sentoffagain2 said:

  I know Oldham have splashed out and brought good if ageing players in but i still think mid table will be their position.It is difficult moulding a team even with good players into a very good one in their first season together.That is why i think Bradford who will have plenty of new faces will not hit the ground running.Especially with their coach leaving and being replace by  Noble who likes to play the percentage game.

22 players in Bulls squad from 2024

Only 7 new signings with only 5 in with a shout for 1st game.

If you watched the Bulls in 2024 it was very much a Noble team already.

 

 

[Indigogo]

2 hours ago, Jimmy DoNut said:

Lewis Baxter I think you mean, plus PLT on another season-long loan. 

Of course i do! My bad. Be interesting to see how PLT goes in champ. When we had him at Keighley in 2022 he didn't look ready for champ after impressing in L1 in 2021. That said, he played in multiple positions in a losing team with chaos going on behind the scenes.

[sheddingswasus]

Oldham have and are investing heavily in facilities as well as players. They are currently working on their community training ground and it it pretty amazing. £180,000 spent to date on it.  This is a  link to the YouTube video just posted